Have a question I am sure you have all heard before regarding how many fish I can keep in a custom 60 gallon. You hear the term "controlled crowding" often but then also people saying no more than x fish. I think I am either fully/over-stocked/controlled crowded already, so any help would do.

I have 20 juveniles in my 60 gallon (220 litre) and I am kinda feeling it out to see what I will keep as they get larger. Do you guys think this is a good approach? Do I need to get rid of some fish at all? They are all around 4cm at the moment.

The reason I ask is that I have mostly common fish. Every time I go to my LFS I see something else I want. Can I add a few more (1 or 2) and then slowly remove as they get older?

Mark Smith's "Lake Malawi Cichlids" lists around 22 fish in a 55 gallon, so hopefully I am still good for now. Anyway, your feedback will be awesome.

Well thats just it, I dont really know. And so all the help I can get would be welcome. This is my first cichlid tank and only my 2nd tank ever.

I went to my LFS and picked up a bunch ( 18 ) "mixed malawi cichlids". Not many of the stores I have been to have much knowledge regarding cichlids. This is basically what I got apart from the addition on the livingstonii, a rusty and the melanochromis auratus. There are some I know and some yet to be identified. What I know I have is the following:

They would be the 2 silver ones. One is spotted, on with stripes. They can also be seen in the video.

Just noticed I am up to 22, but have always planned to remove a few depending on how they turn out. I do know I love the Red Zebra's and the Barlowi. The Borleyi are not my favorite and it seems I have either ended up with 2 females or they have not yet colored up from juvenile. I dont see myself removing the Electric Yellows either, but any of the other I am pretty flexible on. I didnt plan on all male tank and with the lack of knowledge of cichlids at LFS's, I dont know how easy it will be to pick out each time. But once again, I am pretty easy here.

Sounds like you are choosing mbuna and rejecting haps. So choose four species that are not too aggressive and stock 1m:4f of each.

Yellow labs and Metriaclima estherae crossbreed, but if you are not saving fry this is not a problem. You probably want a group of 5-6 Synodontis multipunctatus for fry patrol if you stock crossbreeders.

You may want to choose between Metriaclima estherae and barlowi (this is not a Pseudotropheus). Both metriaclima and similar in color, you would have a risk of crossbreeding and aggression.

Pseudotropheus socolofi and Iodotropheus sprengerae (rusties) will work with these.

Just a quick one on sexing then. As I am pretty new to the whole cichlid thing, how do I identify male/female? I have searched on the net and while the egg spots can be an indication, I have seen both males without and females with.

Do I wait for them to get a little older when they start changing? I think what I thought was Petrotilapia chrysos is actually a kenyi male changing slowly to yellow, but I am unsure.